HiFiMan introduced the little brother of of its $50,000 flagship Shangri-La electrostatic headphone system. The appropriately named Shangri-La Jr. ($8,000), this new electro beast comes “with all the technologies of its big brother but we made it lighter, more compact, and of course cheaper,” said Josselin Marvie from HiFiMan.
Shangri-La Jr. is anchored by a compact tube amplifier sporting four custom 300B tubes designed and built in-house by HiFiMan. Unlike a conventional amplifier, there are no capacitors or transformers between the tubes and headphone – the headphones are directly driven by the tubes.
The amplifier weighs 24 pounds and measures roughly 16 x 10 x 4 inches, making it easy to place on a desk, lamp table, or nightstand.
The matching electrostatic headphones boast large 3.8-inch drivers and weigh just over 13 ounces to ensure comfort after hours of listening.
HiFiMan is currently taking preorders on both the Shangri-La and the Shangri-La Jr. with an approximate ship date of April 2018.